Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Booting Android from external SD on Kobo Aura HD

Looking through http://phj.hu/auraHD/ for information about running Android on Aura HD I've stumbled to the idea to run Android from the external SD. I started to investigate this matter and as a result I was able to realize this idea. You won't even need to disassemble the device. Below is a short instruction on how to run Android from the external card.

Now you are ready to install the patch that lets you run Android from the external SD. First we create a backup internal SD card. You need to install this patch (fix-udev-tgz.zip), otherwise the device won't see the external card, which will be used to save the backup. Connect your device to your computer through USB and unzip fix-udev-tgz.zip to the folder named .kobo which is located on the device. Next you need to safely unmount and disconnect the device from the computer. Then the device will be upgrading and rebooting. Creating a backup is a long process, it took me about 15 minutes. Now you have to download the main patch (dualboot-android-aurahd.zip). Connect your device to your computer through USB and unzip dualboot-android-aurahd.zip to the folder named .kobo which is located on the device. Next you need to safely unmount and disconnect the device from the computer. Then the device will be upgrading and rebooting. During the upgrade will be created backup, so be prepared for a long wait.

After the device will reboot you will be able to choose which system to boot. If you press the backlight button when the device turns on then Android will boot from the external SD card which was created earlier.If backlight button isn't pressed the standard firmware will boot from the internal SD.

140 comments:

I've received requests from the owners Kobo Glo and Kobo Touch to make it possible to run Android from the external SD on their devices. I made images of SD cards with Android and patches for these devices. The installation procedure is identical to the procedure for Aura HD, except that you need to take the appropriate files for your device.

For Kobo Glo:https://www.dropbox.com/s/15cfi8x6y996f3c/Android_Kobo_Glo.7zhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/skrwilzkd0kex6g/fix-udev-tgz.ziphttps://www.dropbox.com/s/7fryckao6nw0l5b/dualboot-android-glo-touch.zip

For Kobo Touch:https://www.dropbox.com/s/jdx2kh3576w4g0w/Android_Kobo_Touch.7zhttps://www.dropbox.com/s/skrwilzkd0kex6g/fix-udev-tgz.ziphttps://www.dropbox.com/s/7fryckao6nw0l5b/dualboot-android-glo-touch.zip

If you still have your dual-boot ready, can you do me a favor? As I use my Kobo mainly for reading, I am most interested in whether I could install (from Play Store) Aldiko or Mantano app. The free versions are good enough.

Previously I had a rooted Sony T1 ereader running same Android, but Aldiko and Mantano both aborted during installation. I don't want to go through the exercise and discover it's also a futile experiment. :)

Angor You are amazing. I updated you latest rom. Wifi, frontlight, cover sleep, USB are perfect. But it seems the battery percent and time can not update with net correctly. And the wifi connection is steady enough. Anyway I'm very happy with the current one. Expect to see further improved rom from you.

It's very strange. It looks like you have an incompatible hardware. Is it exactly Aura HD, but not simple Aura? What model name is written on bottom face of your device near the USB connector? I have "N204B" model.

Yes it's same model, so let me review what I understood from your comments just in case I misunderstood something:I'm using microsd HC type 4 8GB, format FAT32.With USB Duplicator Image I write image 2014-02-02_Android_Kobo_AuraHD on micro SD.I delete .kobo file and all its contents from SD card.With MiniTool Partition I extend partition KOBO EXTSD of SD card from 5.5GB to 6.5GB (maximum)I install card in Kobo reader while is switched off.I switch on kobo reader and connect it to the PC (a message appears that can not recognize micro SD) then unzip fix-udev-tgz.zip to the folder named .kobo of the e-reader memory, after unpluging the e-read from the PC, updates&re-starts quickly.Again appears message error for micro SD then I connect e-read to the Pc and put dualboot-android-aurahd.zip unzipped contents to the folder .kobo of the e-reader, after unpluging the e-read from the PC, update takes looong time&re-starts.Finally I tried several combinations but all I get when pushing backlight button is white screen.I checked that on external SD back up image was created.I tried with & without extending partition but result is the same.Any idea about what I'm doing wrong?

Hi Angor!First at all thanks for the incredible contribution!I have an Aura HD and first was not able to start up android as well by simply pushing the light button. But by pushing and let it go at an interval of ~1s it does run up. Perhabs there is a capacitor involved so an impulse is needed at the right time.

@PansenSchim: Hey, what am I doing wrong? I manage to change the order of the partitions by moving them to the end of the card, but every time I extend the big partition, the small parts disappear as soon as the big part is extended with the smaller part of the unallocated space (the one with approx. 15 MB). If I however extend the big partition only one time, the smaller unallocated space remains on the card, so that I get following file structure: small unallocated space (approx. 15 MB), big partition (approx. 6,52 GB), small partition, small partition. I use an 8 GByte MicroSD-Card from Transcend and the same partitioner as you do (Mini Tool partition wizard).

I have just purchased a Glo, and I'm a bit confused about a detail. When I add the files above, and a backup is made, where does the backup go to? And what can I do with the backup file? And is the backup file made a direct copy of the original backup so I can restore the device 100% back to original state (ie. before copying those files across?)

"where does the backup go to?"The backup file was written into the folder named ".KoboBackup", and the file called "KoboFirmware.img".

"And what can I do with the backup file?"You may do with this file all you want. You can remove this file or save it.

"And is the backup file made a direct copy of the original backup so I can restore the device 100% back to original state (ie. before copying those files across?)"Yes. This file was made using Linux "dd" command. It was created on case if you had bricked your device. In that case you would restore your device from this file.

Thanks for your reply.So, I connected my Kobo Glo which is running Kobo version 3.1.1 to my USB drive. Then I unzizipped fix-udev-tgz.zip (which conains 1 file - Koboroot.tgz) and I placed the file KoboRoot.tgz into the .kobo directory and nothing has happened. I disconnected my device, I rebooted my device. Nothing. Is something supposed to appear on screen to tell me that something is happening?

The led lights up blue -> white -> green -> off and the screen goes white. Then nothing happens but I guess it's on because I have to hold power for about 10 sec (led lights green) and then press power shortly again without homebutton to get back to "Kobo OS".

Hello Angor. I`m using Aura HD.I followed your discription, but there is some question.Is the first partion is KOBO external SD??? and the second and third is android data and system???And..... My Aura HD boot up with KOBO os but not android by light button + power button.Please help me. thank you

Hi Angor. A lot of thanks. Your work is awesome. I tested the patches uploaded by you in the ebook.org. All is fine now, but there is a problem with apps reflowing text like coolredaer, repligo reader or mantano reader. In lanscape mode there is a diagonal line cutting and moving a little the text. With coolreader in lanscape mode with 270 degrees text looks fine but tap zones are gone crazy and the Aura HD becomes unresponsive. I tested two times with two different sdcards with same results.

Hi Angor. Patch reapplied. The problem with lanscape mode and text reflowed still remains with coolreder, but is disappeared with ezpdf and with repligo. In coolreder landscape mode 270 degrees is still unuseable because the tap zones are lost. Maybe is a coolreader problem.Thanks again. Your work is really amazing.

Hi guys ...I'm a little bit confused here ... in the description, it has been mentioned that we should delete the .kobo folder from the SD card that we creat based on the image. I used the image for Kobo Touch and there isn't any folder called ".kobo"! the only place that I have it, is on the main memory of my device ... Would you mind helping me if I am making a mistake ...

I can successfully boot into Android on Kobo Touch, but after connecting the USB cable, and being prompted a few German questions, the device got into tolino mode in German and will no longer go back to the android main page.

Restarting doesn't help either, I will have to refresh the SD card again. Hopefully this will not happen everytime I connected to USB.

I may have missed something. I just did the dual boot like you described and everything is in Russian. Is this supposed to happen? I have no idea even where to go to find the settings to configure wireless. Then I want to go to the marketplace or google play store and download a couple of apps. I am completely stuck. Help.

Actually my power off screen that I just invoked looks like German "abbrechen" etc.

Thanks a lot for all the hard work. I just have a question about the backup process. Does the backup image go onto an external SD card? If so, does that mean I need two external cards (one for the backup and one for the android image)?

IIya's clearing of data allows me to get things from Google Play, although I wasn't able to buy things that way (kept getting an error). I had to buy it via browser on desktop, and then next time I used Google Play, it downloaded it for me.

Hello Angor! I've been using your image with great success to expand the horizons of my reading (allowing me to use lots of dictionaries not otherwise available on Kobo). Thank you very much for your work! :-)

Question for you - is it possible to adjust the brightness to a low setting? For me, the frontlight turns off completely when it is turned down (brightness between 0 and 13%). As a result, the lowest brightness setting is much brighter than in the original Kobo firmware. Is it possible to turn the brightness all the way down for nighttime reading?

Hello, i'm french.my kobo is a touch kobo.When she create the backup during a few time and after she display restarting.Now the tablette is brick on restart. the buton reset isn't foonctionnal.can you help me please?

I have the same problem! I try many times to do a hard reset with multiple combinations of home and switch button without success.My Kobo Touch is a brick!Guys please don't try this tutorial is very dangerous if you have a main memory sd encrusted into the device.

What version of Android does this use? I think it is Gingerbread (2.3) but I want to be sure. How has the Aura HD been for people as a whole? I hear some complaints about software and firmware glitches and so-so reliability. Finally, when I had a Nook Touch, people found at XDA that the SanDisk class 4 microSD cards worked better for running a ROM than almost any class 10 card. I can't give you the technical reasons, but I also found it to be true.

Hi, kobo touch hasn't the backlight button, what shall I do? I've tried pressing home button while switching on the kobo but the led turns red (never happened before) and nothing else happens and I have to reset it. If I press the home button and then I switch on the kobo (while still pressing the home button) the led turns green (fixed, not flashing). Some advice? Ps I bag your pardon for my english, is not my first language.

I'm using OSX Disk Utility to create the flash image on a 32G SanDisk Card. How should I extend the partitions so that they are at the end of the card? I can't get the system to update from the SD card.

I did everything you wrote, but I can't turn the Aura HD with your rom. I have the same model as you, and I have a sync on it yesterday. Can you tell me what could the problem is? I tried to turn it on with many combinations of the light and turn button, but it does not work.

Hello Angor, thanks for the awesome post.I'm not familiar with this kind of stuff and tried to follow your instructions but I cannot even get through the first step. It keeps saying an error occurs when I wrote the image file to the 8GB class 4 micro SD card. Is it because the class is too low?By the way, suppose one day I want to restore to the original setting. How do I use the backup file to restore to the way it was?

Hi Angor:Thank you for excellent instructions.I am preparing to upgrade my Kobo with Android.Just 2 questions: 1. I will use 32 gb micro sd card, should I create partitions you mentioned or it is already formatted and I just have to resize them?2. In case of a problem where can I find backup to restore internal SD?Thank you in advance,Leo

Fantastic work! I have one request - how do I make it so that it boots android off the SD card by default (no button pressed) and only boots Kobo OS when pushing the light button? I have Kobo Glo. Thanks!

hi. I trying to instal Android long time)...to days))and now its working!! thanks wary match for this options. ( My problem was instal image on sd . all go in way, wen I delete folder cobo from sd card...i thing what was problem)) )Thank a lot for your work!

Thanks for the great job! Everything works fine, but kobo rotate app. When opened, it shows me a window with the button "Toggle screen orientation" which really changes it's orientation until I press "back" or "home". Then screen returns to the vertical position, so finally I have no idea how to stabilize it in landscape position. What should I do to make it working properly?

I feel stupid: connecting my N204B to my computer via USB, I can't see anything else but the books in the library. No way to gain control of the android section, no.kobo dir, no way to unzip files in the reader.What I'm missing?Thank you

Hello, sadly Android installation failed on my Kobo Aura HD, I'm unsure if it doesn't recognize the micro SD (the SD Reader is really bad build IMHO and it is probably defective) I have done pass 2 but the third seems to not install anything... in any case the backup doesn't start and the Kobo sometimes says that the SD is not formatted, other times does not see simply nothing

So I'm asking to you:

1. How to see if the Kobo recognizes the SD with the original firmware 2. My SD is a Sandisk of 8 GB, do I have to buy another? What do you have used? 3. Kobo has closed the "hole" as Sony did and now it is impossible to install Android into this questionable quality device[1], too?

I add this the SD image after being installed onto the card was strange at least seeing it with "MiniTool Partition Wizard" I add this setup:

IMHO is the first 30 MB partition that gives problems sadly I have not found a working way to merge with the first one or "Minitool" does not works or it is a Windows 8 problem... in the end the best result I have obtained is an empty SD (destroyed partition table :-) )The Kobo firmware is 3.1.1, thanks for your help.

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Hi Angor! Thanks for the excellent work. Combining the Kobo's epaper screen with Android's capabilities is really the best of both worlds.

A question about the SD card: Is there a reason it has to be 8GB or larger? I followed your instructions using a large card (which worked beautifully). But after the whole thing was done I was looking at the card's contents - including the backup - and they seem like they would have easily fit onto a 4GB card.

I am now in the process of trying to shrink the Kobo partition and move everything to a 4GB card (I have those sitting around, unused in abundance) but haven't had any luck. The Kobo won't boot from the external card. Still boots from the original card just fine.

Please can you help I'm trying to write the Kobo Glo image onto sd card and keep getting an error. I've tried 8GB and 32GB cards but no luck. Also sorry if you get this multiple times but my browser keeps deleting the comment and I'm not sure if it's being sent. Thanks.

my internet connection stops after 1 min. Strange how i am still connected to the network. Tried turning it off and on and the same thing would happen. Any thought would be appreciated. Thank you beforehand. Neo

The fix-udev-tgz.zip that I downloaded is not recognized as zip-files but as text with very long lines (as is 2014-02-28_Android_Kobo_Aura_HD.7z). None of the unzip programs in Linux or Windows can do anything with them.

Also I don't understand what you are saying about the partitioning of the SD card. Should I first create partitions with fdisk (if so, how many and how large) and then 'dd' the 2014-02-28_Android_Kobo_Aura_HD.7z to the last one?

As I am a Linux person, perhaps I do not understand the Windows idiom here :-)

I got android up and running on the Kobe Aura HD. Thanks, Angor, whoever you are.

All in all it doesn't run half bad. OK, screen refresh is ugly (less so in Ereader programs). Battery life is halved (but still it lasts two weeks or so).

On the other hand, I have a huge collection of books and scientific articles that I want to have with me at all times. The Kobe system could not handle that very well and I got annoyed with the long time needed for updates of the library. The Android system has a much better file handling. I can just select a file in a filemanager, point any of the five Ereader programs to it and Go!

I followed the instructions above and my Kobo Touch n905 (a yard sale find) got stuck on the last screen, the rebooting part, and now seems bricked. Is there any way to unbrick it? I've tried all of the reset combinations I've seen online: power + home, pin in back + home, power alone). Or do I now have a fancy coaster?

hello brilliant software. All Kobo glo and touch (with internal SD Card) do have an ttl port on the motherboard (google for XC soar) so I soldered a gps chip to the board which is nicely recognized using the XC soar software. Using the android surface on the kobo (touch or glo) I installed an app called navigation be on road using open source maps, all of it freeware. But here it is not possible to get the gps chip running. The android software does not see the gps on the port ttymxc0. Any ideas how to get the gps chip running. Imagin you can use your kobo as gps navigation, great isnt it? greetings

I just tried this on my touch and it doesn't seem to work. Used 16 and 32 gb cards just to make sure. Just boots to Kobo native. I hold down the silver button while booting but nothing. Tried different lengths of time too. Any advice?

Great work Angor!I'm using "Smart launcher" since it provides a better ereader feeling (in my opinion) works great for few apps. Also, i'm using "root soft keys" instead of button savior.; it is fast and fancy, and more important, it allows to be located anywhere in the screen, solving the problem that button savior is difficult to activate when using at bottom of the screen.Finally, i'm using naked browser which is fast (however, sometimes it refuses to reach the browser navbar after it loads a page).

Now, there are 2 things that are really annoying and reduces functionality. If anybody found how to solve them... The first is howto to be able to use the notification bar: a minor annoyance is that it doesn't update the battery status; however it is far more important to find how to display and action on notifications since a lot of apps (including wifi html athentication) works only from.there.Second is how to use a custom image for sleeping screen. One of the good things of eink is that screen is useful even without battery and can also be lifesaver: map or address or bank account number. The default german sleepscreen is funny but denies the advantages of an ereader screen.

Great job Dude...!Its working like a charm on Kobo Touch. I can boot the device in Kobo OS when I slide the power button, and I can boot in Android mode by pressing the home button and sliding the power on. No problem faced.Thanks and regards.

Hi Angor,this is so great what you did. I would like to start doing my own modifications. Can you give me a link to the sources of your uboot configuration and some hints? How did you achieve getting uboot to react on the light switch? I would like to change that behaviour as my Aura H2O does not have that switch. So I want to make it react on the presence of a bootable sd card in the external slot. Any hints would be appreciated!Cheers, Michael

I think they may work on Aura non-HD (6")as it uses the same firmware as Aura HD, however there is a risk of bricking the device, as there is no internal SD card. One day maybe I will try, when I don't care if I break it or not, any Aura with brave souls out there want to try?